Maintenance!
Added 2025-07-17 19:16:11 +0000 UTCGetting into the guts of the engine for the first time - for a bit of routine maintenance. Any ideas what I'm working on here?
It was my first time doing this particular job, but it was really fun to figure it out!
Comments
David, thanks for the interesting recounting of this experience. This welding of dissimilar metals must be a dicey operation. To be honest, I thought it was not even feasible. Are you sure it wasn't a brazing or soldering operation? That's been the more common procedure in those types of repairs, in my experience.
BandiT
2025-07-27 09:00:43 +0000 UTC🧵 I think you did great, Leo, on this preventative maintenance. • On Yabá, where they were rushing to get sailing, finally, after 5️⃣ long years in refit, Ben found a late engine repair that needed to be done before shoving off: The seawater-freshwater HEAT EXCHANGER needed to have its rusty freshwater filler neck removed, and a new neck welded in place. • The Brazilian welder who did it did a very creditable job, welding an aluminum filler neck to the large steel or cast-iron exchanger. • I don’t know why the new neck was done this way, with dissimilar metals, EXCEPT to preserve precious inches between the top of the large & tall engine, and the low ceiling of the engine room. • The way they did it saved 2️⃣ or 3️⃣ inches, and at least one separate part: A piece of solid aluminum rod, about 2” long x 2” wide was drilled & tapped to receive the threaded filler neck, which was either steel, or stainless steel (I don’t know). The threaded aluminum part was welded to the exchanger, and the filler neck screwed into that. • It worked, an oil change was accomplished, and after the diesel rack self-primed itself, the engine fired right up. • Thanks, Leo & Team, 😉👋🏽.
David Pearce
2025-07-21 17:44:12 +0000 UTCThe service manual says to check valve clearance every 1500 hours. Though doing this after a modest break-in period is pretty standard among motorheads.
John Verne
2025-07-21 14:49:35 +0000 UTCI'm curious about the reason for this maintenance item. I was under the impression that sometime after the mid-1950's almost all engines used hydraulic valve lifters which resulted in quieter operation, also eliminating the valve lash adjustment maintenance requirement. The exception being some racing or high rpm operation engines still using solid lifters because of the performance advantage at very high rpms. Is there some reason that the marine engine design would still be using the old solid lifter valve train design??
BandiT
2025-07-21 07:00:31 +0000 UTC
